Aurelia
by 242megxxx
Summary: Aurelia Candlewick arrives at Cackles excited to meet her long-lost aunt. To her dismay, her reception is rather frosty...
1. First impressions

**Hi guys! So i wrote this a while ago.. I've written most of the story already but I'm going to post it bit by bit. **

**If you enjoy reading it..let me know! It always makes my day!**

**Chapter 1**

The sky was a clear and the sun was twinkling on the day of the 1st September, start of the new term and academic year for Cackle's Academy for Witches. The sun beamed off the cool stone walls of Castle Overblow as teenage girls on broomsticks landed in the courtyard. Despite the rather warm September weather, the girls were all wearing black gymslips, long sleeved grey shirts and thick woollen tights, which was the school's 'Winter' uniform, and many appeared to be rather hot and bothered.

Two women stood on the steps of the main entrance. One was short and plump, with greying hair and glasses. Her round face was pink from heat and yet she wore a huge welcoming smile. The other woman was her polar opposite; tall, skinny and impressive, with jet black hair in a tight bun at the top of her head. She was wearing a wintery long black dress with a high collar, yet her skin remained pale white and she radiated a cool, calm exterior.

"Welcome back girls!" The plump woman exclaimed excitedly at a bunch of the girls, who wore yellow sashes around their waists, the uniform of third year students. "Brooms into the cupboard, Oh Constance isn't it great to see all the girls again?" She asked of the tall woman next to her.

"Of course headmistress" Constance Hardbroom, her deputy agreed rather half heartedly.

"I wonder what the new second year girl is like?" Amelia Cackle checked the register she was carrying. "Aurelia Candlewick, such a pretty name."

"Aur- Aurelia Candlewick!?" Constance spluttered.

"Do you know of her Constance?" Amelia raised her eyebrow, nonplussed by her deputy's reaction.

"She is my older sister Cecilia's daughter. We haven't spoken in years. I haven't seen the girl since she was a baby." Constance's voice was rather high pitched; it was the closest the teacher ever got to 'freaking out'.

"Well how lovely that you will get to teach her." Amelia replied brightly.

"mmm." Constance replied non-commitedly. Inside her brain working in overdrive. Cecillia knew that she worked here. Why would she send her daughter here? It didn't make sense.

"That must be her now." Amelia pointed out an unknown girl that had just landed who was wearing a dark green sash.

Constance stared at the girl. She was tall and slender with pure white skin which rivalled that of her own. She had a pretty face, bare of makeup and thick wavy golden blonde hair cascading down her back. She looked rather nervous and unsure of her surroundings.

Amelia hastily walked up to her to welcome her to the academy. Constance stood there for a moment before following.

"Hello! You must be Aurelia. Welcome to Cackles. I am Miss Cackle and I believe that you know my deputy here Miss Hardbroom. I will leave you in her care, she will show you to your room and then later this afternoon she will introduce you to her form group."

"Thank you Miss Cackle." The girl smiled at her new head teacher and then rather nervously at her aunt. She had heard so much about her from her mother, yet she seemed even more impressive in real life. The woman did not return her smile.

"This way, Miss Candlewick." She barked at the young girl before walking through the castle door. Aurelia had to almost run to keep up.

Aurelia took in her surroundings; the castle looked bare compared to her old school. The corridors were narrow and gloomy and the few furnishings looked ancient and medieval. Not an ounce of any kind of technology in sight.

"It's so lovely to finally meet you Aunt Constance; mother has told me all about you!" Aurelia blabbed nervously. Miss Hardbroom paused for a moment and turned to face the young girl, her lips had turned into a thin line and she looked extremely annoyed.

"I have no idea why your mother decided to send you here Aurelia, but since she did I would like you to keep our family ties to yourself and call me Miss Hardbroom in future." The girl's face dropped as she stared into her aunt's eyes. Finding no warmth., she realised she was not welcome. Miss Hardbroom sped off again up some cold stone steps.

"This will be your room." Miss Hardbroom stated as she pulled open a door exposing a rather bare bedroom. "Lights out are at 9pm sharp and room inspections are every Thursday. I will leave you to unpack and collect you in an hour so you can meet the rest of your classmates." With that the woman was gone.

Aurelia sighed, she was so disappointed. She was used to her mother's warmness and expected the same from her sister. She had no idea why they had fallen out, but knew it had happened many years ago.

xx


	2. New friends

**Chapter 2**

"Welcome back Form Two." Miss Hardbroom swept into the room with Aurelia in tow. The girl stood nervously at the door. The room had become instantly silent when the teacher appeared.

"Good afternoon Miss Hardbroom." The girl's chorused in unison. Many of them were staring at Aurelia, which did nothing to help her nerves.

"This is your newest classmate Aurelia Candlewick. Maud, as class representative I would like you to show Aurelia around today." She spoke to a chubby girl with pigtails and glasses. "Aurelia, take the seat next to her."

Aurelia went to claim the seat and smiled weakly at Maud and the girl sitting directly next to Maud who had long dark hair in messy plaits. They both returned the smile.

"Hi, I'm Mildred." The other girl whispered. "Welcome to Cackles."

"Mildred Hubble, do I have to remind you that I expect silence in my class? A very disappointing start to the year indeed." Miss Hardbroom glared at the girl who immediately put her head down.

"Now Ethel will hand out your timetable." She handed the pile of papers to the good-looking girl with dark blonde hair sitting directly in front of the teacher's desk. "You can spend the next hour writing targets about what you hope to achieve this year. I expect for some of you this will be easier than for others." She glared at Mildred again. "Off you go."

The next hour felt like an eternity. Aurelia was shocked to find that the only noise that escaped the girls was the scratching of pens against paper. At her old school most of her teachers struggled to be heard above the hustle and bustle of teenage girls working. She spent most of the lesson watching her aunt, who was scribbling on some papers. The woman looked exactly like her mother, she acknowledged; high cheekbones and her mother's ebony hair. But this surprisingly didn't assure her .The woman must have felt her gaze as she caught her eye.

"Is there a problem Miss Candlewick?" Her eyebrows had risen up her forehead and joined in one long line and she spoke coldly at the young girl.

Aurelia hastily looked down at her paper and quickly wrote down a few general targets.

"Ruby, please collect in the sheets". She ordered a pretty African girl who hastily sprang to her feet. "I believe your first class is spells with Miss Cackle. "Off you go, I will see you all at supper." With that the teacher vanished into thin air.

Xx

"So what do you think of HB?.. sorry Miss Hardbroom, everyone calls her HB around here" Maud asked her newest class member.

"she's ermmm.."

"Terrifying?" Mildred chuckled.

"Yes, definitely scary." Aurelia nodded.

"To be fair you did catch her on a bad day, normally she's harsh but something was definitely up with her today." The girl who had been introduced as Enid Nightshade cut in.

"What does she teach?" Aurelia asked Maud.

"Potions."

"Oh no, I'm rubbish at potions!"

"You can't be any worse than me!" Mildred assured her.

"I'm terrible!"

"Trust me, Mildred makes anyone look like a potions expert!" Enid giggled.

The girls had reached the spells classroom and hastily took seats at the back of the class.

"Good afternoon girls!" Miss Cackle strolled in. "Now since this is your first day back, I think we ought to play 'Finish the Spell'."

The girl's all cheered at this.

"Right whose first, ermmm Aurelia, as our newest class member I think you ought to do the honours. _Illius bloomicium"_

_"_Ermm _Illius bloomicium geranius geranium." _Aurelia nervously waved her hands at the desk in front of her, where a beautiful red geranium appeared from thin air.

"Fantastic, well done Aurelia!" beamed the headmistress.

The game continued for the entire lesson. Except for Ethel, Aurelia was the only girl that got all the spells right. By the end of the lesson Miss Cackle was raving about her abilities. She should have been pleased, but unfortunately Miss Cackle was not the teacher she wanted to impress. She knew that her aunt would be a lot harder to please.

Xx

The first day at Cackles had passed in a blur for Aurelia. By the time evening came her brain was aching. She lay on her bed listening to stories of last year from her new friends.

"I tell you that's the only time I've ever seen HB smile." Mildred finished.

"It must have been pretty painful for her." Enid laughed.

"Wait until potions tomorrow." Maud told her. "You're in for a treat"

"Lights OUT!" came a barking voice from the corridor.

"We better go, before her highness starts dishing out the punishments. Night Aurelia." Enid smiled at her new friend.

"Night." Aurelia replied as she watched the girls leave.

Her mind was wondering. She didn't understand. Why would her mother send her here? When her aunt clearly didn't care for her. She couldn't believe that Miss Hardbroom was related to her. She was so cold and mean. All the girls clearly hated her, she didn't dare tell them that she was her niece. She could just imagine their faces.

"I said lights OUT." The door swung open and her aunt glared at her and at the offending candle next to her hastily blew it out and darkness gulfed her room, making it seem lonelier than ever. She waited for the door to close before closing her eyes tightly.

Xx


	3. Potion Class Disaster

**Well here's chapter 3.. hope you enjoy it!**

**I would just like to thank HB's favourite for such a fab review.. really made me smile! :)**

Chapter 3

Constance Hardbroom undid her bun and slipped into her bedsheets with a sigh. It had been a tiresome day. Her mind was still reeling about the presence of her niece in the school. How dare Cecilia enrol her here?! She had worked so incredibly hard to escape her family and to establish her teaching career.

Aurelia was exactly how she had imagined her to be. She still had the beautifully clear pale skin than she had had when she was a baby. She had inherited many of her mother's features, many of which Constance herself shared such as the long straight nose and hazel eyes. But she had her father's hair. The golden blonde locks she remembered so well. She looked down at her hands. The mere thought of David Candlewick had caused her fists to clench tightly.

xx

"Today you shall be following the recipe for an enlarging potion on page 179 of your textbook. Now it is a simple potion but it involves a variety of bonding methods, therefore it is likely to appear on your Lower Level Witch certificate, which of course you will be sitting at the end of this year. I want you to work individually as it is important for me to assess what damage has been done to your potion making knowledge during the school holidays." Miss Hardbroom wrinkled her nose, as if appalled by the very idea of 'holidays'. "Anybody that fails to complete the potion satisfactorily will be spending the evening in my company." She smirked at the class; many of the girls had a look of horror on their faces. "You will find everything you need on the front desk. Begin." She ordered.

The girls hastily scrambled for ingredients and cauldrons. Before long the room had filled with the sound of bubbling potions and the air had filled with a strange smelling mist. Aurelia started on the potion. The recipe didn't seem too complicated. To her surprise the potion seemed to be going quite well, it was the light brown colour the book described. She read the last lot of instructions.

_Add 4 drops of spider's blood and stir anti-clockwise._

Aurelia gathered a pipette and started to add the drops to her potion. She felt a strong gaze and cautiously looked up, meeting the cold dark hazel eyes of the potion-mistress she hastily looked down at her potion. "_Oh no!"_ she thought. She wasn't sure how many dropped she had put in. She thought perhaps she had added all 4…maybe 3…no definitely 3…surely it couldn't hurt to add a drop more?

"Time is up." Miss Hardbroom spoke in her clipped tones. Aurelia looked around, everyone's potion was dark green in colour, except of course for Mildred's which was a mucky blue. Her own potion had turned bright canary yellow.

"Oh no." She muttered.

Miss Hardbroom went around the room inspecting the potions. Dropping a leaf into each and then watching it grow. Even Mildred's potion worked, although it only grew a few cm. Aurelia was the last to be tested.

"Oh dear." Miss Hardbroom said with scorn as she peered into Aurelia's cauldron. She dropped in the leaf which simply fizzed and turned brown. She wrinkled her nose at the offending potion. "Clearly your talents don't stretch to potion making. Clear this away Miss Candlewick, you can come back tonight." Miss Hardbroom addressed the class. "Clear away. You have five minutes."

Constance returned to her desk and watched the class rush to pack away. Aurelia looked more than a little defeated, but Constance didn't feel any sympathy. She was incredibly annoyed at the girl: firstly for being the only girl to fail her potion, meaning that she would have to spend the evening with her; secondly for simply being at Cackles, reminding her of the past she'd rather forget.

xx

"Hard luck Aurelia." Mildred smiled anxiously at the girl as they walked to their next class. "I'm really surprised I'm not joining you tonight, my potion was rubbish!"

"it wasn't as bad as mine.. I'm hopeless at potions. My father always used to say that there is no point brewing a potion if you can do it with a spell quicker."

"Used to say?"

"He died when I was six." Aurelia muttered.

"I'm sorry." Mildred said sincerely.

"It's ok, I mean. It was a long time ago." She smiled bravely. "Urghh I'm not looking forward to tonight."

"Yeh, you could be there a while." Mildred smiled. She had had plenty of experience of one to one potion making with HB, each time had been long and traumatic for the young witch.

"I can see why you all hate her." Aurelia muttered.

Mildred raised her eyebrows quizzically. "Why do you say that?"

"Because she's mean all the time."

"We don't hate her. I mean Miss Hardbroom's a tricky person to get along with. She's really strict on discipline and yeh she will come down hard on you if you are not doing your best. At first I think I really did hate her, but she is the first person to put her life on the line for anyone in this school. She only pushes you because she cares about you."

"She has a funny way of showing it." Aurelia muttered.

Xx


	4. Probing Questions

**On a mad updating spree at the moment! Drank far too much coffee before bedtime! **

Chapter 4

At six o'clock Aurelia made her way down to the potions lab. She knocked and then walked in. The room was empty. She sat down at her desk awkwardly not knowing if she should start without her teacher being there.

"We haven't got all day Miss Candlewick." A stern voice made her jump. She looked up just in time to see her aunt appear in front of her desk.

" I umm.. I didn't know if..-"

"Ingredients are in the cupboard." The teacher cut in, before grabbing a potion's book from the book shelf and opening it at her desk.

Aurelia got to work, concentrating hard on what she was putting in. Before long the potion was the deep green colour that most of the class's had been earlier. "Aunt Co- I mean Miss Hardbroom. I think I've finished." Constance put her book down and took a leaf from her drawer. She walked over the Aurelia's desk and placed the leaf in the potion. As with the others earlier it bubbled for a moment before growing twice its size.

"Success at last." The teacher nodded curtly. "I am satisfied, now clear away." She returned to her desk and watched the young girl hastily put away the remaining ingredients. From what she had experienced of the girl so far these last two days she seemed good-tempered and popular with her classmates. She had been dreadful at potions but she seemed a fast learner and according to Miss Cackle she was excellent at spells. Under any other circumstances she believed she might like the girl. She just didn't know what she was doing here.

"Aurelia, did your mother tell you why she was sending you here?" Constance inquired, curiosity getting the better of her.

Aurelia turned around, it had been the first time Constance had acknowledge their relationship in the two days she had been at Cackles.

"She just told me that she was sending me here because the school has a good reputation and she thought I ought to know my aunt better. I didn't really question it, I was just excited to meet you." Aurelia stared at her shoes, embarrassed.

Despite herself Constance felt a flicker of warmth towards the girl.

"What had she told you about me?" Constance asked her, slightly more gently than before.

"That you are the best potions maker she's ever known. That you used to be close, more than sisters, more than friends."

Constance smiled inwardly at that. Yes they had been so close when they were young. Their age difference had been negligible and people always thought they were twins. But this had only made her betrayal harder for Constance to bare.

"How is Cecilia?"

"mum? She's fine. I don't get to see her a lot these days. She always tells me to keep my head down at school."

"She used to say the same thing to me." Constance told her niece. "How is your father?" The words had escaped from her tongue before she could stop herself.

Aurelia looked at her aunt for a moment. Surely the woman knew? But no, her words had been asked awkwardly yet sincerely.

"He's dead. He died in a broomstick accident when I was six years old."

Constance felt the words impact her heart. David? Dead? How could she not know? She had made the choice to cut him and them out of her life. She hadn't wanted to know anything about them. She looked into the eyes of the girl infront of her, feeling ever so slightly sick.

"I'm sorry Aurelia." She said weakly. "Please get to bed, I will finish off."

Aurelia left the room feeling very confused. Her aunt genuinely didn't know a thing about what had happened with her dad. What had happened to her aunt to make her lose contact so completely?


	5. Betrayal

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter! I know its short but its so crucial to the plot..**

Chapter 5

Constance felt her head fall into her hands. She hadn't thought about Cecilia or David for years. Now it was all flooding back.

"_Constance you are the one for me." David had told her, twinkling blue eyes staring into her own. _

David had been her steady boyfriend through college. She had fallen head over heels in love with him.

"_Cecilia, I think he's the one. I want to spend the rest of my life with him." _She had told her older sister one night as they lay in bed together chatting about life.

"_Just keep your head down at school Connie. There is plenty of time for that after you have graduated." _Cecilia had advised.

"_I know Ce-ce."_Constance had chuckled._ "I have a lot of effort to put in if I want to do as well as you did last year!"_

"_You always do better Con."_

Then one day it had all changed._ "Connie, don't tell mum. I'm pregnant." _Cecilia had told her, tears dripping from her hazel eyes.

"_But?! How? Who's the father?_

"_You don't know him."_

But Constance did know him. She remembered the day about a month after Aurelia was born when she had found her birth certificate. Under the father section was written David Percival Candlewick. That had been the same day she had left home. She couldn't even look at her sister.

It has transpired that her mother had known the full story and kept it from her younger daughter. Something that Constance couldn't forgive her for. She had kept in contact with her mother briefly through letters but hadn't seen her in the flesh again. She had died seven years ago. But with her letters she had learnt that Cecilia had married David.

Xx


	6. Ethel's Envy

Chapter 6

The next day arrived and Aurelia was feeling more positive, well slightly more so anyway. She had made good friends at Cackles. The girls had all snuck into her room during the night bringing crisps and cakes that Mrs Tapioca had given them.

Mildred was the best friend she had always wanted; kind and warm-hearted, yet very clumsy and entertaining. Enid had her constantly laughing, Maud was quiet but very kind, Jadu was giggly and Ruby had very deep interesting conversations that Aurelia could just about keep up with.

The girls had double spells in the morning. Aurelia managed to impress Miss Cackle again by being the only one able to produce a hover charm without using words. Even Ethel hadn't managed it - much to her shock and dismay.

Chanting was very strange as Miss Bat had them doing some very strange hand movements. Enid performed these over-enthusiastically making all the girls laugh especially as Miss Bat kept using her as an example.

But the afternoon arrived far too quickly. The class had flying lessons with Miss Hardbroom.

The girls all arrived in the courtyard carrying their brooms. Aurelia felt quite confident. She had been on the broomstick-formation team at her last school and her teacher had always praised her technique.

"Ethels glaring at you!" Enid told Aurelia, smirking at the pretty blonde with the stuck-up nose.

"Really?! What have I done wrong?" Aurelia really didn't want to make enemies.

"You beat her in spells class. Watch yourself; she doesn't take kindly to competition." Mildred explained.

Aurelia looked up in time to see her aunt arrive via broom. She looked so elegant and poised, a true witch from any fairytale.

"Good afternoon class." She spoke briskly as she dismounted her broomstick in a ladylike fashion.

"Good afternoon Miss Hardbroom." The class chanted back.

"We have no time to waste this afternoon. I want to see who has been practising this summer. Well go on then mount your brooms!" She ordered sternly.

The class did so and hovered a few inches awaiting their next instructions.

"I want you to fly twice around the courtyard, anti-clockwise. Stay low."

The class obliged and Miss Hardbroom watched them intently, criticising their faults.

"You're swaying rather badly Mildred. Enid this is not a race. I said low Ruby! What part of that did you not understand?"  
She watched Aurelia, the girl seemed quite at home on a broom, although her technique was for speed rather than elegance. Something that Constance despised.

The girls came to a stop in front of Miss Hardbroom, sitting bolt upright on her hovering broom. "Well I can see that some of you have not practised at all." She glared at Mildred. "Others however are really developing strongly. Ethel you looked lovely on your broom, very straight-backed. You girls could learn a lot from her." Ethel smiled smugly.

"Now girls I would like you to spend some time practising a swift change of direction. I'd like you to imagine that you are swerving a very large obstacle. Pay attention to your balance, start slowly and build up your speed. Off you go."

The class had been practising for about five minutes when it happened. Aurelia had been flying in the direction of Miss Hardbroom ready to swerve. To her horror her broom wouldn't obey. She saw her aunt's face and the next thing she knew was that she was on a heap on the floor.

She hastily got herself up, thanking herself that she had been flying low. Miss Hardbroom had dusted herself off and was now looking at Aurelia with rage. Aurelia saw Ethel's smile behind the teacher and knew that she had been responsible.

"I believe Miss Candlewick that the idea was to swerve the obstacle, not zoom straight into it!" Miss Hardbroom spat at the girl.

"I I I'm so sorry, it-it-just- wouldn't-." Aurelia stammered.

"This lesson will resume in classroom 3 in five minutes!" Miss Hardbroom glared at the girls. "The entire class will be writing an essay on the qualities for successful broomstick riding. You can thank Aurelia for disrupting your practise." With that Miss Hardbroom vanished.

Xx

The class slowly made there way to the classroom looking extremely downtrodden.

"I can't believe you Ethel, I can't believe you did that!" Mildred shook her head at her classmate.

"Did what Hubble Bubble?" Ethel smirked.

"You know what!.. I saw you Ethel. That was really low!"

"Prove it." Ethel said with venom.

Aurelia felt like crying. She had really gotten onto Miss Hardbroom's bad side, and it wasn't even her fault. It was so unfair. She spent the rest of the class concentrating on her essay, trying to ignore the glares from her teacher.

Xx


	7. Nightmare

**This chapters dedicated to Hannahgrayson. I wasn't going to update today, but after reading her review and already having the chapter written I felt compelled to.**

**:)**

Chapter 7

Exhausted, Aurelia got into bed, a full hour before lights out. She was still annoyed at the day's events. Stupid Ethel! Her relationship with her aunt had been improving before today. Now it was ruined and she would never know the reason why her and her mother didn't speak. She laid there in the dark for ages, forming conclusions in her mind, each one more ridiculous than the one before, before falling into a deep sleep.

"_When will daddy be home mummy!?" _A pretty child of six asked the woman sitting on the staircase, whose eyes were dripping with tears. _"What's wrong mummy?"_

"_Daddy isn't coming back sweetheart."_

"Quick go get Miss Hardbroom Maud!" Mildred ordered her friend. She had heard Aurelia screaming and had found the girl wriggling in her bed, sweat in her golden hair. "Wake up Aurelia!" she shook her friend.

"Millie? Wha? what happened?"

"I heard you scream. It looked like you were having a fit or something!"

"I had a bad dream."

"Into your own room Mildred, I will deal with this." Miss Hardbroom ordered, appearing at the doorway, awoken by the commotion.

"Buu-" Mildred went to argue but saw the look on her form-mistress's face and decided against it. She left the room with Maud who had been hovering behind her teacher.

Aurelia stared at Constance, she didn't seem any less frightening despite being in purple PJ's. She had her ebony hair hanging loose making her look almost identical to her mother.

"How are you feeling?" She asked briskly, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I'll be fine Miss Hardbroom, honestly it was just a dream." Aurelia muttered unconvincingly. Constance placed her cool bony hands onto her temple.

"You have a fever. Here." With a flick of her wrist she conjured a bright blue ice-pack. "Keep this on your head. I have cast a spell so that it stays cold. You will remain in your bed tomorrow. I will inform Miss Cackle. It seems like a bout of common witches' fever, which can come on from stress. Usually with bed rest the person recovers within twenty-four hours. I will check on you in the morning."

"Miss Hardbroom?" Aurelia's muffled voice came from underneath her cover.

"Yes?"

"I'm really sorry about earlier." Aurelia decided not to mention Ethel, she doubted Miss Hardbroom would believe her.

Miss Hardbroom stared at her niece, the girl seemed sincere. "You are forgiven, but as my own personal form of punishment I will expect you to attend an hour's one-to-one training session next Monday, straight after lessons." Constance knew that with some extra training Aurelia could be an excellent flyer.

"Yes Miss Hardbroom." Aurelia muttered.

With that her aunt left, and Aurelia sighed before closing her eyes. Tonight, at least, the woman had seemed almost human.

Xx

Constance sat in the staffroom sipping a cup of strong black tea. She couldn't sleep. Her mind was turning with thoughts of Aurelia. The fear in the girl's eyes had done nothing to convince her that it was just a 'dream'. No it had definitely been a nightmare. With the revelation about what had happened to her father she felt sure that the girl was reliving the horror of her past. She had felt strangely protective of Aurelia tonight.

xx


	8. A Strange Kindness

**Still posting this bit by bit :) It gives me more time to change things that I'm not happy with. Hope your enjoying the story so far :) **

Chapter 8

"Good morning Aurelia." Constance awoke the girl with her usual clipped precise tones, all traces of the purple pyjamas removed. She pushed her hand onto her forehead as the girl tried to blink her eyes open. "The fever has gone down. That is good news, but I think you ought to take the day off to fully recover. Here I brought you something." She handed Aurelia a thick brown leather bound book, which Aurelia squinted at and read out loud.

"'Success at Potions, the practical guide to improving potion making'. Really?" Aurelia's eyebrows shot to the top of her forehead, joining in one thin line. _She looks almost like me when she does that_, Constance acknowledged.

"You have some catching up to do." Constance told the girl. "I want you to read the first three chapters carefully. I will be giving you a test later on the different types of magical and non-magical chemical bonding." With that the woman vanished.

Aurelia opened the book to the first page and sighed, the writing was tiny. "Is this her way of showing that she cares?" She muttered to herself.

"Yes." Came a curt answer from nowhere.

Xx

Constance strode into the staffroom. A letter already composed in her mind. She scribbled it quickly, her handwriting slanting beautifully.

_Cecilia,_

_We need to talk._

_Constance_

She hadn't decided to forgive her sister. But she felt after twelve years that she needed answers.

Xx

Her aunt had been right about the fever and by the evening Aurelia felt perfectly fine. Her friends had been banned from visiting but Miss Hardbroom had been true to her word and had returned after class time and asked Aurelia endless questions about what she had read. Aurelia had impressed Constance with how much information she had taken in from the book. Constance had then discussed potion theory in meticulous detail as Aurelia tucked into Mrs Tapioca's cold chicken soup.

"I just don't understand, Aunt Constance. Why would you go to all that effort when you could just use a spell?"

Constance was nonplussed; her first instinct was to yell at the girl for her cheek. Yet she could see that the girl was being genuine. She tried to keep the disdain out of her voice.

"Because the effects of a potion are much more potent and longer lasting. And it's Miss Hardbroom. I am assuming that you have kept our relationship a secret thus far?"

"Yes."

"Good, I am aware that I am not the most popular teacher. I wouldn't want you to lose friends because of that. Although why you have become such good friends with Mildred I cannot fathom."

"You know Mildred speaks quite highly of you Miss." Aurelia smiled.

"Oh her heart is in the right place, she just lacks application in certain things. She is frustrating, just like you. You both have lots of potential and yet you don't let yourself prosper. You are bad company for each other; you would do well to have a friend that you can learn from, like Ethel Hallow." Miss Hardbroom had walked over to the door.

"Fat chance of that happening!" Aurelia muttered, Constance pretended not to hear.

"I will see you fourth period tomorrow."

Xx

Constance pondered for a moment as walked through the corridors to her room. She had actually enjoyed herself in the girl's company. She felt bad for being so cold towards her on her first day. She wasn't responsible for her mother's betrayal.

Years ago, she would have longed for a daughter like her, someone who she could teach all her ideas to and shape and mould. Yet fate had been unkind and so Constance had settled for pupils instead of children. She thought she had lost any maternal instinct she had once had.

Xx

**The ice queen is melting ;)**


	9. Revelations

**Loved writing this chapter!**

Chapter 9

_Constance,_

_I have been waiting a lifetime to talk to you. Meet me at 'The Black Cat' pub in Killin tonight at 7pm._

_Your sister,_

_Cecilia_

Constance stared at the letter in her hand, re-reading the few words for the seventh time. For the first time in her 29 years, she felt nervous.

Xx

"Did I miss anything important yesterday?" Aurelia asked Maud during breakfast.

"Nahh, Spells was fun, we learnt how to create different types of flowers, but you can already do that. Chanting was another rendition of eye of the toad, PE was cross country! It was horrid, she made us run for miles and potions was a theory lesson on magical bonding."

"Miss Hardbroom made me read about that yesterday." Aurelia rolled her eyes.

"Whilst you were ill?" Enid was outraged. "She really is the limit."

"No I mean, she didn't want me to fall behind." Aurelia jumped to her aunt's defence. "I'm already bad at potions. You know, I don't think she's as mean as I first thought. She was pretty nice to me yesterday."

"The woman is pure evil." Enid laughed. "oh toadstools! Its nearly five to .We have potions at nine." The girls all scrambled to put away their breakfast trays and sped off down the corridor.

Xx

The day past quickly. Miss Hardbroom seemed vacant during potions and didn't even shout at Mildred when her potion bubbled over, just wearily told her to clean up the mess. Aurelia kept her head down and concentrated hard on what she was doing. The potion ended up almost perfect.

"Off you go girls." Constance dismissed the class. "Aurelia I would like a word please."

Aurelia hung back feeling a little nervous. Her aunt waited until the last girl had left before sitting down at her desk and looking her niece in the eyes.

"How are you feeling today?" She asked briskly.

"Much better, thank you Miss. You were right about it being a twenty four hour bug."

"Good." Aurelia wasn't sure whether or not the reply was about her feeling better or herself being right.

"Thank you for looking after me yesterday Miss." Aurelia said awkwardly.

"As my pupil you are my responsibility Aurelia. Now run along, oh and by the way, I was impressed with your potion making today. You have redeemed yourself slightly for the monstrosity of an enlargement potion last Tuesday." Constance smirked and Aurelia returned it with a sheepish grin.

Xx

Constance strode into 'The Black Cat'. It was a dark and dinghy medieval style pub with plenty of character. She looked around, Cecilia had not yet arrived. Sitting down on a dusty burgundy leather chair in the far corner she ordered a glass of red wine. She had never been a drinker, but she felt she needed all the help she could muster.

She needed to know why. Why Cecilia had betrayed her all those years ago? Why she had stolen her life from her and why she felt the need to reconcile now.?

"Connie?" A small voice asked.

Constance looked up at her older sister. She had changed over the years. She had the beginnings of crow's feet and had cut her previously waist length hair to just past her shoulders.

"Oh Connie, you haven't changed at all!" Cecilia exclaimed as she draped herself into the opposite chair.

"Cecilia, I haven't come here to exchange social niceties. I need answers." Constance spoke in her most clipped emotionless tones.

"I've missed you Con, more than you could imagine." Cecilia applied to her sister's softer side.

"You chose to end any relationship we had when you got pregnant by my boyfriend." Constance replied simply.

"I know. I was a horrible sister to you. I never stopped caring though. I will tell you everything. Where do you want me to start?"

"I want to know how it happened."

" you really must" Cecilia sighed, staring at her sister a moment before beginning her story. "It was Grandmother Ivy's Christmas ball. You were arriving late because you were attending a potion's convention. David had had a lot of wine. So had I, not that I'm blaming that. He asked me to dance I said yes. Before I knew it we had ended up in the cloakroom together. He put his hands on me. I didn't stop him. One thing led to another." Cecilia took a sip of her drink.

"But why? Cecilia how could you have done that to me? You knew how crazy I was about him."

"I don't know. I think I was probably jealous. Jealous of everything you had. I was the older sister that was always getting upstaged. I had idea what I wanted from life and didn't have anyone to spend it with."

"You could have spent it with me!" Constance hissed.

"I know. I wanted to. But then you left after finding out that Aurelia was his and I had no one. Then suddenly David appeared at the house one night. Saying he wanted to be a family. I had nothing else left, mother would hardly look at me. It has been twelve years Con, David has gone. Can you not finally forgive me?" Cecilia pleaded.

"You stole my life Cecilia. David should have been mine. Aurelia should have been mine!"

"I'm sorry. I know I don't deserve to be forgiven. I didn't come tonight with the intention of being forgiven. I just hoped."

"I don't understand. What was your intention? Why did you send Aurelia to Cackles?"

"I'm dying Constance." Cecilia gave her sister a sad smile. "I've been dying for a long time. My time is almost over."

Xx

"I don't understand?" Constance spluttered.

"I have some sort of virus. The doctors don't know how to treat it."

"Does Aurelia..?"

"No she doesn't know." Cecilia looked her younger sister straight in the eyes. "Constance I need you to look after her. Once I'm gone she will have no one left, no one but you."

"But.. I..!"

"Do you care for her?" Cecilia asked. "I know you have only known her properly for a short while but do you care for my daughter? Your niece?"

Constance racked her mind; the girl's scared face on her first day of school, her smile when she had praised her potion, the way she had listened to her so intently when she had discussed potions whilst she had been ill.

"I think perhaps I do." Constance spoke more to herself than her sister.

"Promise me. Promise that you will take care of my little girl." Cecilia stared into Constance's eyes urgently.

"I promise." The younger sister replied weakly.

Xx

Constance decided to walk the long distance between the village and the school. She needed the fresh air and the time to think. She had no idea how she felt. Sad? Yes. Her sister was dying, despite everything she would always care for Cecilia. Scared? Very. She had decided to take on responsibility of a twelve year old girl.

"Oh what have I done?!" she muttered to herself. She wasn't a popular teacher, hated described her better. How could she possibly be there for a young girl at the most difficult time of her life?

But she had promised, and she had no choice. She knew that she cared for her niece and didn't want her to go through the death of her mother alone. She had made Cecilia promise one thing in return. That she would tell Aurelia everything.

Xx


	10. A Secret Shared

**Thank you for some fantastic reviews! Really appreciate people taking the time to comment :). I totally agree with Eleanor James's comment about this story being a Mary-Sue. It is and I cannot deny it! I am a very naive and positive individual, I have always had the problem of seeing the good and ignoring the bad in both real life and with fictional characters. However I will justify myself slightly with the knowledge of how much I as an individual change my character when I am fufilling the role of teacher. When I watched the WW and read the books I always believed on some level that 'HB' was just an act.. I think that is why she is always people's favourite character.. She is an enigma and therefore we have to make alot of her character ourselves.**

Chapter 10

"HB's staring at you Aurelia!" Enid murmured to her friend over breakfast.

"I don't know why." Aurelia stared at her back at her aunt. Their gaze met and Constance gave a tiny smile before turning to talk to Miss Cackle.

"Did she just-?" Enid looked from Aurelia to Mildred and Maud.

"Smile?- I thought I saw it too!" Maud murmured.

"Nahh.. your seeing things." Aurelia muttered.

To the girls surprise Miss Hardbroom had walked over to the girls. "Morning girls." She said briskly.

"M-morning Miss Hardbroom." The girls chorused nervously.

"Aurelia, I need a word."

The girls watched as Aurelia followed the potion's teacher from the breakfast hall.

"Poor girl." Mildred muttered as her friends nodded in agreement.

Xx

Aurelia had been led into her teacher's office in her private quarters. Her aunt gestured for her to sit on the wooden chair in front of her desk before facing her.

"Aurelia. Usually on weekends girls are expected to stay in the school grounds unless special permission is granted. However I have been in touch with your mother and she wishes you to see her this Saturday. I am giving you permission."

"But – why would - ?"

"Please don't ask questions Aurelia." Constance spoke with natural authority. Aurelia glared at her for a moment.

"Don't look at me like that!" Miss Hardbroom snapped. "Might I remind you that I am your teacher and also deputy headmistress at this school." Constance raised an eyebrow and the girl dropped her face.

"Is that all Miss?" Aurelia asked moodily.

"No, it is not. I have decided that it might be a good idea for you to tell your friends about our relationship. We cannot pretend forever and I think they would appreciate it coming from you."

"But… I…" the girl stuttered, thoroughly confused. Why the sudden change of heart?

"That is an order, Aurelia. I can be there whilst you break the news if you wish?"

"No, I don't think that will help." Aurelia spoke in a small voice.

"Ok, I would suggest that you do it during your free period this morning. Get it over and done with. Remember that you have my support during this. I will not accept any form of bullying. You have nothing to worry about."

"Easy for you to say." Aurelia muttered.

Xx

Aurelia sighed and gathering her wits knocked on Mildred's door. The girls naturally congregated in her room during free periods in order to gossip instead of doing their homework. Sure enough she opened the door to find Mildred and Enid lounging on her bed, Maud sitting on the desk's chair and Jadu and Ruby were crouched against the hard stone wall.

"Hey Reli." Maud greeted the girl using the nickname the girls had resorted to using.

"Come join us." Mildred offered, patting the tiny amount of room left on the bed.

"How was HB?" Jadu asked.

"Errm… actually.. actually I um have something to tell you all. Something I should have told you before. I know that once I tell you, you probably won't want to know me anymore. Just remember I can't help it and it doesn't change who I am." Aurelia bit her lip nervously.

"Are you Ok?" Maud looked concerned.

"Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. Unless your going to tell us that HB's your biological mother or something." Enid chuckled but then stopped at the look on her friend's face. "Wait, she's not your mother is she?"

"Close enough." Aurelia muttered in a small voice. The girl's all gaped at her for a moment.

"What do you mean?" Mildred broke the silence.

"Miss Hardbroom's my mother's younger sister. She's my auntie."

The girls continued to gape. "No freaking way." Ruby finally muttered.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before. It's just I promised and it's not like we're a close family or anything. I hadn't seen the woman before I came here in about eleven years. I couldn't even remember her. I wanted to tell you straight away but she told me that I was to keep it a secret and you all seemed to hate her so much. She must have had a change of heart or something because she told me that I ought to tell my friends." Aurelia gushed, barely taking a moment to breathe. "Please don't hate me." She finished in a small voice, a tear dripped down her cheek.

Mildred quickly got up from the bed and hugged her friend. The rest followed suit and soon Aurelia was wrapped in the centre of a group hug. "Aurelia, we don't hate you." Mildred spoke in slightly muffled tones.

The girls all broke off. "So does this mean we're entitled to less homework then or something?" Enid laughed.

The girls all giggled.

Xx


	11. Improvements and Opinions

**Hey guys! This chapter has been edited so many times! I'm still not happy with it.. but I'm satisfied atleast. Anyway I hope you enjoy it, I enjoyed writing it at any rate.**

**If you like it, please tell me :). I don't write for reviews, but they always help motivate me! If you have any ideas for this story please let me know via PM. I'll take any ideas for later chapters into consideration.**

**Love y'all.**

Chapter 11

"I still don't understand Reli. Why have you not seen her in eleven years?" Mildred asked the inevitable question as the girls walked down the corridor the next morning.

"I don't know. Something happened between her and my mum. I don't know what. I'm seeing my mum this weekend. She has lots of explaining to do."

"What's your mum like?" Enid asked, visualising another scary HB.

"Errm well she looks a lot like Miss Hardbroom, but she's a lot warmer."

"That's not hard." Enid chuckled.

"Is that so Enid?" A voice from no where rooted the girls to the spot. Miss Hardbroom had materialised in front of them.

"Umm Miss Hardbroom, I um didn't see you there!" Enid stuttered.

"Obviously Enid, I was invisible." Miss Hardbroom rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I would just like to say thank you to you girls for responding maturely to Aurelia's news. I am sure that it will spread around the school quickly so I am relying on you all to tell me of any incidents relating to this matter. Is that understood?" She narrowed her eyes at each of the girls in turn.

The girls all nodded.

"Aurelia, I hope you have remembered your flying session after lessons? I shall meet you in the courtyard, ensure you do not dilly dally."

"Yes Miss Hardbroom." Aurelia glared, annoyed that her aunt had been eavesdropping on her conversation. The teacher disappeared.

"Gosh you really look alike when you glare like that! Scary!" Enid teased.

Xx

Aurelia slumped over to the courtyard in a foul mood. Her friends were all planning on sunbathing on the lawn in the too-hot-for-September weather and after a long day of studies she really wanted to join them.

Her aunt was already there, perched and hovering on her long broomstick majestically.

"Mount your broom Aurelia, we have a limited amount of time before night falls." She called sternly to the girl below. Aurelia groaned inwardly, this would not be a quick lesson if she planned on being out until nightfall.

The teacher quickly got down to business, correcting the child's technique.

"No not like that, you only fly like that in broomstick-formation. Try both your legs on the same side! That's much better, far more elegant. Sit up straighter, your balancing will be a lot easier. No, like this." Constance had placed her hands on her niece's back, straightening her shoulders until she was ram-rod straight. "Much better, now try flying forward. Excellent!"

"Doesn't it get really uncomfortable after a while?" Aurelia raised her eyebrow, her back was already aching.

"Yes but a true witch practises Confidence and Control in all things." Constance explained, repeating what had been drilled in at Witch Training College. "Now I want you to practise swerving, although I will stay out of the way." The teacher raised one eyebrow comically and Aurelia smiled sheepishly, instantly forgetting her bad mood.

Xx

Imogen Drill let herself into the castle grounds panting slightly. She had always enjoyed a jog before supper. She found herself being met with a strange sight as she entered the castle courtyard.

Looking up she saw what appeared to be a private flying lesson between Miss Hardbroom and Aurelia Candlewick. This however was not what surprised Imogen; Constance had always taken her job very seriously and had forced many reluctant pupils into extra lessons during her time. What surprised Imogen was the fact that Constance Hardbroom appeared to be smiling – a sight so rare that Imogen was rather taken aback in shock.

Xx

Constance smiled at the sight of the young girl sat confidently and elegantly on her broomstick. She felt almost like a proud parent. It was only when night had settled and Aurelia was barely visible that she reluctantly ended the lesson.

They walked back into the castle in silence, a comfortable silence.

xx

Constance did her usual night time inspections before heading down to the staffroom. Her wondering mind was definitely not going to allow her to sleep.

"Oh hello Constance, could you not sleep either?

"The mind is a funny thing Miss Drill." Constance replied in her clipped tones, before helping herself to a strong black coffee and sitting in one of the wooden chairs opposite the other teacher.

"Well that coffee's not going to help." Imogen chuckled at her colleague's strange behaviour.

"You know as well as I do that I need not sleep. I have other means of being wide awake in the morning." She explained churlishly.

"So you're choosing not to sleep?" Imogen raised her eyebrow. Constance Hardbroom really was a conundrum to her.

"Correct."

The two sat in silence for a moment.

"I saw you with your niece this evening, she is a lovely child, I'm really glad your spending time with her. She looked like she was enjoying herself." Imogen spoke daringly.

"Yes she has Hardbroom blood; therefore she naturally enjoys improving herself." Imogen noted that Constance spoke quite proudly.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself too." Imogen stated.

Constance glared at the other teacher, she was far too used to her speaking out of turn.

"Yes….. Miss Drill do you have a point to make?"

"No, I'm just pleasantly surprised at you Constance. I never realised you had such a maternal side."

Constance contemplated those words. She had been worrying about precisely that; her maternal side. She took a large gulp of coffee, wincing slightly at its strength.

"Miss Drill, I rarely stop to think of what others think of me, but I have received some news recently which has changed that."  
"You want to know what I think of you?" Imogen's mouth had dropped open realising what the other teacher was getting at. "Why?"

"I am sure you are aware that I saw my sister the other day for the first time in over a decade?"

"Yes."

"My sister is dying, Imogen. She doesn't have much longer to live. Aurelia's father died years ago. I will be the only family she has left." Constance's clipped tones faltered slightly.

"Goodness." Imogen didn't know how to respond.

"Are you nervous?" Imogen probed.

"I do not get 'nervous' Miss Drill. There is no point in nerves. No point in being afraid of something that is inevitable. However I am aware of many of our student's opinion of me. That I am mean. If that is true then Aurelia would be better with out me." Constance spoke emotionlessly. "But I want to know what you think."

Imogen sat for a moment, trying to form her words.

"Constance, when I first met you I believed exactly what our students think about you. You are harsh, stern and more than a little terrifying. But over time my opinion changed. You care Constance. You might not think you show it, but you do. Take Mildred for example, you have been very strict with the girl from day one, punishing her for every little misdemeanour, even when she has not been entirely in the wrong. Yet her opinion of you is probably one of the highest. She knows that you only behave the way you do because you want what's best for her. One day the other girls will realise that too. You have it in you, honestly you do and Aurelia is really going to need you."

Constance digested Imogen's words. She knew that Imogen Drill was the one person that she could trust to give her an honest answer. In the past Imogen's honesty had been annoying, infuriating sometimes, but right now it was exactly what she needed. She had never been so scared, so worried about her own incapabilities. For once in her life she wished she was a warm and relaxed person, someone who could comfort.. It was ironic really, her wishing for characteristics she usually saw as weak.

"Thank you Imogen."

Xx

**I tried to get it to be a big deal that she calls Miss Drill - Imogen.. don't know if it comes across like that or not...**


	12. Her World Ends

**This chapter was really hard to write. It's difficult to put such strong emotions into words. **

Chapter 12

Cecilia Candlewick made her way through Walker's gate, staring up at the impressive castle that was Cackles Academy. The building was exactly the type of building she had imagined her sister teaching in, full of grandeur and tradition, much like Constance herself. She imagined Aurelia would be very happy here. Her daughter had always been a fan of fairytales and the castle could have been lifted from any of her childhood books. The thought of her daughter made her sad. The child's short life had been full of such misery and there was still more to come. Ever since receiving her diagnosis, Cecilia's full attention had been on trying to make sure her daughter would be as happy as she possibly could be.

Cecilia wondered if karma really did exist. Both she and David had really hurt Constance, now David was dead and soon she was to follow suit. Constance's words rang in her mind.

_Aurelia should have been mine!_

Yes, Constance should have had David's child. She had stolen that privilege from her simply because of sibling jealousy. Now the ironic thing was that Aurelia would be Constance's. Karma had made sure of that.

Xx

"Aurelia?"

Aurelia heard a voice at the door followed by a loud knock. She opened to door to reveal her PE teacher.

"Your mother has arrived. She's in the staffroom with Miss Hardbroom. I'd hurry down if I were you Aurelia." Miss Drill smiled knowingly,

xx

Aurelia knocked on the staffroom door and ventured nervously in after hearing the sharp 'Enter' from her aunt. Aurelia knew why Miss Drill had told her to hurry. The atmosphere in the room could be cut with a knife. The two sisters were sat opposite each other, both rather stiffly and it had been obvious that they were out of small talk.

Aurelia could see just how much the sisters looked alike, but Miss Hardbroom was definitely the beauty of the two, despite hiding her long thick hair. She smiled a wide smile at her mother. Their relationship had become strained since her father's death and the two were not exactly close but she was still very happy to see her.

"Mum!" Aurelia enveloped her mother in a tight hug. She imagined doing the same thing to her aunt which made her smile slightly, she could just imagine her reaction.

"Aw Reli! I swear you've grown a foot in a few weeks!" Cecilia smiled at her beautiful daughter.

"What are you doing here mum?" Aurelia questioned.

"We need to talk Aurelia. Con- Miss Hardbroom has given you permission to come to Cosies with me."

Aurelia bit her lip, she could sense something was not right.

Xx

"Mum, why do you and Aunt Constance not get on? She didn't even know about dad's death?" Aurelia started when the two had been served their steaming cappuccinos. They had the place to themselves and Miss Cosie had retreated to the kitchen.

Cecilia looked her daughter in the eyes. Admitting her worst crime to her innocent child was not easy.

"Aurelia, I did something in the past that I am not proud of. Your father… Your father was in a relationship with Constance when I got pregnant with you. She has never forgiven me, with good reason. Your father was the love of her life."

Aurelia was speechless. She would never have believed her mother had been capable of such a betrayal. "It was a long time ago mum." She finally muttered, trying to console her mother who looked very ashamed of herself.

"Yes it was, but that doesn't stop me being guilty. Jealousy is a horrible thing Aurelia. I am very proud that don't seem to carry that characteristic." Cecilia smiled at her; the girl only seemed to carry good characteristics.

The two sipped their coffees for a moment.

"That wasn't what you wanted to talk to me about was it?" Aurelia realised.

"No Aurelia, it was not."

"Then..what..?"

"Aurelia there is no easy way to tell you this." Cecilia wiped a tear that had spilled onto her cheek. She took a deep breath. "Aurelia, I'm dying. I have a virus that cannot be cured. I haven't got much longer."

Aurelia felt like she had been hit, kicked and trampled on all at once. Her world had ended. She felt the hot tears gush down her face.

Cecilia grabbed her daughter and held onto her and she wept and wailed. It really wasn't fair that one child could go through so much heartache.

Xx

Constance Hardbroom paced the length of the staffroom. A control freak by nature, she hated that she couldn't control this.

Xx

The sky turned to black as the autumn sunshine went to sleep, Aurelia held her mother, not wanting to let go.

"Reli, sweetheart. I need to get you back." Cecilia murmured into her daughter's golden hair.

"I'm not going back. I want to stay with you." Aurelia spoke flatly.

"No, Aurelia." Cecilia spoke firmly.

"I can't say goodbye not knowing whether I might see you again."

"I will always be with you darling." Cecilia smiled bravely.

"I'm not leaving you mum."

"I will not let this affect your life Aurelia. You are the strongest girl I have ever known. You will get through this, I promise. My one wish is for you to get a good education and prosper into the witch I know you have in you."

"I promise mum."

What's going to happen to me?" Aurelia asked gently, not really caring for the answer. She didn't want to think about the future.

"As your Godmother, Constance has agreed to look after you. She has told me of how well you have settled in at Cackles, it is my wish that you remain there."

Aurelia digested this information. Her mixed feelings about her aunt gave her unease.

"I am surprised she agreed to that."

"Do not underestimate Constance Aurelia. She has a heart, she has just become very good at hiding it."

Aurelia bit her lip nervously, she hoped her mother was right.

Xx

After one last hug from her mother, Aurelia ventured back into the castle. Her head was spinning as she made her way into her bedroom. Throwing herself on the bed, she wept once more.

xx

"Aurelia?" Aurelia looked up to find her aunt's dark eyes upon her. She hadn't even heard her appear in the room.

"Aurelia, I'm so sorry." Constance murmured awkwardly.

"No your not!" Aurelia shouted at the woman, she didn't know what she was saying or doing but she couldn't stop herself. "You hated her! Don't pretend that you care! Because you don't! You don't care about my mother and you don't care about me! I bet your really hap-"

"Aurelia!" Her aunt's stern voice stopped her in her tracks; she sat there trying to get her breath back through her angry sobs.

"Cecilia is my sister; I will always care about her." Constance spoke quietly. "And as for you I realise that I have behaved badly. Your coming here was a shock Aurelia, but you should know that I do care for you. I promise you that you will always have a home with me."

Aurelia looked at the woman, her features were so identical to her mothers when she wasn't pursing her lips or narrowing her eyes. She grabbed her cool bony fingers and squeezed them. She needed all the support she could get.

Xx

Constance looked down at the girl. She had drifted into a deep sleep, blatantly exhausted, her eyes still tear-stained and her vice-like grip still on her fingers. Looking at the picture of sadness that was her niece, Constance thought that at that moment she would rather die than see another tear fall down the girls face.

Xx


End file.
